ISSUES: Preservation and Environmental Quality

The Virginia Constitution states that "it shall be the Commonwealth's policy to protect its atmosphere, lands and waters from pollution, impairment, or destruction...."

Our natural resources not only enhance our quality of life but are essential to certain industries such as agriculture, forestry, sea food, and tourism. Virginia ranks at the bottom among the states in spending on conservation and environmental protection. Virginia is the second largest importer of solid waste in the country. Shenandoah National Park has been ranked as the third most air-polluted park in the nation.

Forty-four percent of our state’s waters are not fishable or swim able, including portions of the Rivanna, Moorman’s, and Mechums Rivers, Ivy Creek and all of Moore’s Creek and Meadowcreek. Although this area does not experience the air quality problems of Northern Virginia, we need to plan now to avoid them here. I support the following initiatives to improve our water and air quality and to preserve the natural resources and assets that are so important to our quality of life in this region:

• • Designating a permanent source of funding for open space and preservation programs like Albemarle County’s Conservation Easements program (ACE).
• • Establishing a disposal fee to be levied by landfill and incineration operators that will channel monies raised to local waste reduction and recycling efforts, and remediation of problem landfills.
• • Reinvesting funds from sale of pollution allocations into improved air quality initiatives.
• • Strengthening water pollution laws and their enforcement.
• • Exploring the purchase of hybrid vehicles as part of the Commonwealth fleet of automobiles for government transportation.
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  • Developing ways to ensure public buildings meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Standards.
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  • Increasing support for energy conservation and use of renewable energy sources.